Stetson & Associates

What Stetson & Associates does

Stetson & Associates, Inc. is a privately held educational consulting firm founded in 1994 and headquartered at 14343-G Torrey Chase Blvd., Houston, Texas. The company supports K-12 public and private school districts, special education directors, general and special education teachers, and paraeducators with a portfolio focused on inclusive education, IEP compliance, MTSS implementation, co-teaching, behavior supports, and program evaluation. Its core product is Operating Procedures Online (OPO), a customizable, searchable, mobile-responsive reference to federal and state special education regulations used by more than 75% of Texas school district special education programs for nearly three decades, supplemented by the Stetson Learning Systems sub-brand (IEP Ready, Classroom Ready, and self-paced professional development courses with CPE credit) and an e-commerce shop for instructional manuals, information cards, posters, and training modules.

The firm operates a three-layer business model. The recurring layer consists of OPO annual subscriptions priced at $950-$1,500 initially and $750 on renewal, tiered by district student enrollment, plus self-paced course access through the Stetson Online learning platform. The professional services layer covers on-site and virtual professional development trainings (half- or full-day sessions), program evaluations, custom courses, and keynote speaking engagements delivered by Dr. Frances Stetson and a bench of former special education directors, typically arranged through multi-year or customized contracts. The transactional layer consists of e-commerce sales of physical and digital instructional materials. The company reaches buyers through a sales-led GTM motion supported by content marketing (blog, archived newsletters dating to 2014, national webinar series), an e-commerce storefront, and conference presence, and reports having served more than 700 districts across ten or more states over its 30+ year history, with its Step by Step for Inclusive Schools model adopted on a statewide basis in multiple states.

Reported footprint is small (11-50 employees), there is no disclosed external funding, and ownership is consistent with a founder-led private practice. There are no records of acquisitions, mergers, regulatory actions, or leadership changes in the input data; the firm maintains a strategic partnership with the Inclusive Schools Network and offers the Inclusive Schools Week product line through its shop.

Name

Stetson & Associates

Legal name

Stetson & Associates, Inc.

Website

https://stetsonassociates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Stetson & Associates is a Houston-based, founder-led educational consulting firm founded in 1994 that provides K-12 school districts with special education compliance tools (Operating Procedures Online), professional development, and program evaluation services across more than ten states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Consulting and Professional Development

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

IEP Goals, Accommodations & Modifications Design (EDAKACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Special Education (IEP/504) & Student Support Case Management (EDAFAEAI), IEP/IFSP-Aligned Curriculum & Lesson Materials (EDAGAMAA)

Keywords

• Educational consulting services
• Special education training
• Inclusive education programs
• Professional development courses
• Special education compliance

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Professional Development Training: On-site and virtual training sessions for school districts covering inclusive education, collaborative teaching, behavior supports, MTSS implementation, and other topics. Delivered as half-day or full-day sessions customized to district needs.
2. Online Self-Paced Courses: Self-paced professional development courses available through Stetson Online platform, offering CPE credits with documentation of completion and passing grades on exams.
3. Operating Procedures Online Subscription: Annual subscription to the OPO compliance platform with tiered pricing based on district student enrollment. Includes automatic updates to align with evolving laws and policies.
4. Program Evaluation Services: Comprehensive data-based program evaluations unique to each district's needs, examining policies, practices, staffing, instructional models, and leadership structures.
5. Product Sales: Sale of instructional manuals, information cards, posters, training modules, certificates, and promotional items through the online shop. Includes both digital downloads and physical products.
6. Speaking Engagements: Keynote presentations by Dr. Frances Stetson and team members at conferences and district events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Stetson & Associates is an educational consulting firm that delivers systems-change consulting, professional development training, and program evaluation services to K-12 school districts, with a focus on inclusive special education practices. Its portfolio includes the Operating Procedures Online (OPO) compliance platform used by 75%+ of Texas special education programs, the Stetson Online self-paced course platform offering CPE credits, learning systems such as IEP Ready and Classroom Ready, customized on-site training, and a branded e-commerce shop for instructional materials and publications.

Product overview

Stetson & Associates is an educational consulting firm offering a unified portfolio of professional development services and online learning platforms. The core offerings include Operating Procedures Online© (OPO), a compliance management system for special education programs; IEP Ready and Classroom Ready learning systems; and Self-Paced PD Courses for online professional development. Supporting these are signature consulting services for Systems Change for Inclusive Schools, School Improvement, Professional Development, Custom Courses, Speaking Engagements, and Program Evaluation. The company has served over 700 districts for more than 30 years.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Stetson Learning Systems: Online learning platform offering self-paced professional development courses and products like IEP Ready and Classroom Ready.
• Operating Procedures Online (OPO)
• Inclusive Schools Network

Products and services

• Operating Procedures Online (OPO) A customizable, web-based compliance reference platform for federal and state special education regulations, covering referral process, full individual evaluation, disability criteria, IEP requirements, instructional arrangements, discipline, procedural safeguards, and administration. Used by over 75% of Texas school district special education programs for nearly three decades. Sold as an annual subscription tiered by district student enrollment.
• Self-Paced Professional Development Courses (Stetson Online) Highly interactive online professional development courses for educators available anytime and anywhere, with downloadable resources, completion documentation, and CPE credits awarded upon passing course exams.
• IEP Ready A Stetson Learning Systems module focused on Individualized Education Program readiness and development for educators.
• Classroom Ready A Stetson Learning Systems module designed to prepare educators for classroom readiness and inclusive teaching practices.
• Systems Change for Inclusive Schools Signature consulting service helping school leadership teams implement systems change approaches to achieve educational excellence and equity for all students.
• School Improvement Consulting Professional development service focused on improving school-wide practices through evidence-based instructional strategies, responsible scheduling and staffing, and systems that promote academic excellence.
• Professional Development Training Comprehensive on-site and virtual professional development trainings, workshops, and coaching for educators and educational leaders covering differentiated instruction, co-teaching, behavior supports, MTSS implementation, and inclusive practices.
• Custom Courses Customized training courses designed to address specific district or campus needs and emerging educational concerns.
• Speaking Engagements Keynote speakers, including Dr. Frances Stetson, delivered at conferences and events focused on inclusive education and special education leadership.
• Program Evaluation Comprehensive data-based program evaluation services to assess and improve the quality of special education services in school districts, examining policies, practices, staffing, instructional models, and leadership structures.
• Step by Step for Inclusive Schools Systems-wide model for improving the quality and amount of time students spend in inclusive settings; adopted statewide in multiple states and implemented across ten states.
• Instructional Accommodations Manual Comprehensive manual providing strategies and guidance for implementing instructional accommodations in the classroom; available in both print and digital formats and sold through the Stetson online shop.
• Differentiated Instruction Manual Manual providing strategies for differentiating instruction to meet diverse learner needs in both general and special education classrooms; sold through the Stetson online shop.
• Early Childhood Special Education Programs Modules (1-5) Five-module training series covering assessment-based IEP, environment/engagement/inclusion, communication/technology support, behavioral support/social skills, and family involvement/transition for early childhood special education.

Quantifiable outcome

• Step by Step for Inclusive Schools model implemented across 10+ states
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Inclusive Schools NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Inclusive Schools Network (ISN) featuring logo on Stetson & Associates website. ISN promotes inclusive education and schools; Stetson supports its mission. Collaboration on Inclusive Schools Week resources including stickers, certificates, and promotional items sold through the Stetson shop.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Rethink Ed: Rethink Ed offers a special education platform combining on-demand professional development, behavioral strategies, and educator resources, directly competing with Stetson Online and adjacent consulting services for K-12 SpEd buyers.
• PresenceLearning: PresenceLearning provides special education teletherapy, evaluations, and consulting services to school districts, overlapping Stetson's program evaluation, technical assistance, and compliance consulting offerings.
• Council for Exceptional Children: CEC is the leading professional association for special educators, providing standards, professional development, publications, and training directly comparable to Stetson's PD and consulting offerings for K-12 special education audiences.
• Brookes Publishing: Brookes Publishing is a leading publisher of evidence-based books, curricula, and professional resources for special educators, comparable to Stetson's instructional manuals (e.g., Instructional Accommodations Manual, Differentiated Instruction Manual) and training modules.
• Learning Forward: Learning Forward is the leading professional association for educator professional learning, providing standards, training, and resources that overlap with Stetson's signature Professional Development and Systems Change services.
• IRIS Center at Vanderbilt Peabody: IRIS Center provides free, high-quality online professional development modules and resources for special educators, directly overlapping Stetson's Stetson Online self-paced PD courses and IEP-related content library.

Emerging players

• Marzano Resources: Marzano Resources delivers K-12 professional development, coaching, and instructional resources, partially overlapping Stetson's School Improvement and differentiated instruction services while serving a broader general-education audience.
• Solution Tree: Solution Tree provides K-12 professional development, conferences, and school improvement services, comparable in go-to-market motion to Stetson's PD training and consulting engagements but with a general-education focus.
• Branching Minds: Branching Minds provides a MTSS and student support platform for K-12 districts, overlapping with Stetson's MTSS implementation training and inclusive education consulting from a software-led angle.

Broad incumbents

• Frontline Education: Frontline Education is a large K-12 administrative software provider with an IEP/SpEd case management module, positioning it as a broad incumbent that could bundle compliance and PD functionality competitive with OPO and Stetson Online.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/stetsonassociates
• Xx.com/StetsonAssoc
• Facebookfacebook.com/StetsonAssociates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Stetson & Associates